System for Buffering Horizontal Acceleration Acting on Structural Member and Position Returning Unit

ABSTRACT

[PROBLEMS] Since conventionally a quake-absorbing system is provided with a unit for absorbing the horizontal force acting on the structure and a position returning unit separately and composed of a complex internal structure and precise components including a special material and a hydraulic unit inspection by the manufacture is required even after installation and a significant burden is imposed to the manufacturer. In order to reduce the costs of manufacture and inspection, the absorption unit and the returning unit are integrated into one body, any special material is not used, and the structure desirably does not include a complex internal structure or precise components.  
     [MEANS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS] A position returning device is provided with rolls ( 3,4 ) for absorbing the horizontal force acting on a structure are provided between the foundation ( 1 ) and the structure ( 8 ), a shake is thereby absorbed as the rolling motion of the rolls, roll receivers ( 2,6 ), as a returning unit, supporting the rolls ( 3,4 ) have a concave shape, and the action of the rolls naturally returning to the center of the roll receivers by the gravity is utilized. With this, any special material, complex internal structure and precise components are excluded, and integration is solved. Necessity for inspection by the manufacture is reduced and necessity to replace the components is eliminated.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Quake-absorbing system

BACKGROUND ART

A conventional quake-absorbing system prevents transmission ofhorizontal force generated by earthquake and the like to a structure byabsorbing it by a sliding motion and a rolling motion. Further, aposition returning unit making use of tensile stress of rubber orhydraulic stress is ordinarily provided separately.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention

A horizontal force absorbing unit and a position returning unit of aconventional quake-absorbing system which are arranged as separatestructures are arranged integrally.

In the conventional quake-absorbing system, although the contactportions of a sliding surface and a rolling surface must be maintainedand managed clean, there is provided a structure which makes itunnecessary to maintain and manage the contact portions clean.

Since the conventional quake-absorbing system is constructed of acomplex internal structure and precise components including a specialrubber member, a hydraulic unit, and the like, it is indispensable for amanufacturer of the system to check the system to maintain theperformance of it because there is a possibility that the system isvaried and deteriorated as a times passes and the components are firmlyfastened. Accordingly, there is provided a structure arranged withoutusing a special material, a complex internal structure, and precisecomponents.

Means for Solving the Problems

To solve the above problems, the present invention employs neitherspecial materials nor special structures for all the components andmembers constituting a system. That is, the present invention employsordinary commercially available materials for the system and applies nosophisticate technology to the structure of the system in its entirety.The system has an arrangement which does not have a simple internalstructure which may be called a primitive structure so that a degree offunction of the system can be checked from the outside appearancethereof.

To overcome the first and second objects, horizontal force is observedmaking use of rotation of rollers 4, 3 intersecting in an up-downdirection and. As a position returning unit, concave-shaped rollerreceivers 2 having an inclining surface is fixed to a foundation 1 assupport members of the rollers 3, and an inverse-concave-shaped rollerreceivers 6 are fixed to a mount 7 as support members of the rollers 4.

When the rollers 4 and 3 which intersect in the up-down direction aresubjected to decentering force due to dislocation of the center offigure of a structural member from the center of gravity thereof, theintersecting angle of the intersecting rollers is twisted. To preventthe intersecting angle from being twisted, teeth are formed to theintersecting portions of the intersecting rollers so that they aremeshed with each other.

Projecting plates are fixed to the outer end portions of the rollers 4for supporting the mount 7 to prevent side surface movement of the mount7 so that the structural member 8 does not slidingly drop.

[Advantage of the Invention]

As described above, since the system of the present invention is simplyarranged without an internal structure and does not require any specialmaterial, electric and electronic component, and hydraulic unit, thefunction of the system can be maintained without the necessity of checkand replacement of components after the system is installed.

[Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]

An embodiment of the present invention will be explained below based onFIGS. 1 to 4.

In the figures, reference numeral 1 denotes a foundation, 2 denotesroller receivers disposed on the foundation to support rollers 3, 4denote rollers, 5 denotes projecting plates fixed to the rollers 4, 6denotes roller receivers for supporting the rollers 4, 7 denotes a mounton which the roller receivers 6 are fixed, and 8 denotes a structuralmember whose quake is to be avoided.

Next, operation of the above arrangement will be explained. When thefoundation 1 is moved in a horizontal direction by horizontal forcecaused by earthquake, the rollers 3 and 4 which intersect in an up-downdirection are turned in X- and Y-directions in which they are charged,respectively and absorb the horizontal force. Further, since each of theroller receivers 2 and 6 acting as a position returning unit has aconcave cross section inclining toward a center as shown in the figures,when the horizontal force stops, the rollers 3 and 4 naturally returntoward the centers of the roller receivers 2, 6 by gravity, thereby thestructural member 8 returns to a position before the earthquake occurstogether with the mount 7.

The projecting plates 5 fixed to the rollers 4 stop movement of themount 7 to a side surface to thereby prevent slip of the structuralmember 8.

As shown in the embodiment, although the system of the present inventionis arranged to have a very simple structure, the structure is excellentin that it satisfies functions required to a quake-absorbing system suchas sufficient support resistance, a horizontal force absorbing effect, areturning capability, elimination of eigencycle, and the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken along a line X-X to show an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a quake-absorbing system when it is viewed fromabove it.

FIG. 3 is a detailed sectional view taken along a line A-A.

FIG. 4 is a detailed sectional view taken along a line B-B.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   -   1 foundation    -   2 roller receiver (facing upward)    -   3 roller    -   4 roller    -   5 projecting plate    -   6 roller receiver (facing downward)    -   7 mount    -   8 structural member

1. A structure comprising a plurality of sets of rotatable rollers whichintersect in an up-down direction and are interposed between afoundation 1 and a structural member 8 to buffer acceleration in ahorizontal direction (hereinafter, referred to as horizontal force)received by a structural member from a surface of the foundation and thelike in contact with the ground when earthquake and the like occur.
 2. Amesh structure comprising a pair of gears and the like disposed to theintersecting portions of the rollers 3 and 4 in the respectiveperipheral and cylindrical directions thereof to maintain theintersecting angle of the rollers 3 and 4 constant when they aresubjected to twist force by decentering force and the like due tohorizontal force and the like generated in a structural member.
 3. Astructure in which rollers disposed to an outermost peripheral portionhaving the mesh structure comprise continuous members so that therollers carry out the same motion as that when structural member issubjected to force in the same direction or having the same magnitudeeven if the external end portions of the rollers in X- and Y-directionsare subjected to force in a different direction or having a differentmagnitude due to decentering force and the like and uneven stress isgenerated between the rollers.
 4. A combination structure of rollers androller receivers, comprising a plurality of concave-shaped rollerreceivers 2 and 6 each having an inclining surface and fixed to thelower surfaces of a foundation 1 and a structural member or to the lowersurface of a mount 7 for the rollers according to claims 1 and 3 so thatthe structural member can be naturally returned to a predeterminedposition by gravity when the rollers 3 and 4 are rotated by horizontalforce and the positions of the structural member 8 and the foundation 1are changed.